There was a time when an air conditioner's only function was to keep things cool - but times have changed. While lowering the temperature and maintaining a comfortable ambience is still an air conditioning unit's main raison d'etre, through science, we've better come to understand how the quality of the air we breathe in an indoor environment impacts our health and well-being. You'll find the innovative technology that's transformed the simple act of cooling air to the effective, efficient climate control of a complete home environment at the very core of every Kapsul Air unit.
When the first residential air conditioner debuted in 1914, it measured 7 feet high, 6 feet wide, and an ungainly 20 feet long. The cost - at $10,000 to $50,000, or about $120,000 to $600,000 in modern currency - was equally hefty. Right now, at 7 inches in height, Kapsul Air is the slimmest window unit on the market.
According to co-founder and CEO Kurt Swanson, Kapsul excels compared to traditional window air conditioners in a number of key ways. "First is how it looks, inside and outside the home," he notes. "It's beautiful and won't make your home unsightly, and as Kapsul has no external exposed coil outside the house, it makes a less tempting target for vandalism."
With added slide-in locking safety components and a pair of ergonomic handles, it's also easy to install - you don't need to worry about dropping it out of the window while trying to set it in place. "Basically, if you can lift a small child, you can install Kapsul by yourself," Swanson says.
Kapsul Air's Current Technology Blows Away the Competition
But Kapsul Air's innovative exterior design isn't its only outstanding feature. The stunning outside is matched by an array of internal features that already incorporate the latest advances in home climate-control technology - including "smart" technology - that make Kapsul as much as 50% more efficient than other room air conditioners.
"Not only can you control a Kapsul unit from your smartphone, it's also smart enough to figure out how to make your room comfortable at the temperature you set, which means controlling humidity as well as temperature," Swanson explains.
Another advantage of Kapsul versus competitors is that unlike traditional units, Kapsul directs air up into the room. In contrast, legacy units blow air directly out, leading to cold spots directly in front of the AC and hot spots the farther away from the unit you get. "Even if your bed's right in front of the window, you won't freeze at night with Kapsul," says Swanson. "The whole room is comfortable, so you'll be comfortable."
Comfort and Health Concerns Are Kapsul's Top Priorities
One of the advantages touted when whole-home central air conditioning systems were first introduced was convenience. However, while there's certainly something appealing about a "set it and forget it" scenario, no major appliance is truly trouble free. While routine care and maintenance as well as regular filtration protocols for HVAC units may have been a given from their inception, other long-term considerations that impact our health may not have been taken fully into account.
By definition, central air conditioning comes with yards and yards of ductwork. Keeping such a lengthy and, for the most part, enclosed system clean and worry-free can pose significant logistical challenges. Even with a modern filtration system in place, over time, the dirt, allergens, and contaminants - including mold - that can build up inside ducts have been linked to unpleasant odors, poor home air quality, and a variety of related health issues.
While it's a concern for buildings constructed with central air conditioning as a feature, the problem is only compounded when homeowners decide to upfit older homes with new central air systems. "Central HVAC systems use ducts in walls and floors," says Swanson, "and if you're going to open them up, it means multiple contractors coming to tear your house open. That's dusty, messy, and inconvenient - not to mention very expensive."
Why Whole-Home HVAC May Not Be Healthy
And at the end of the day, you'll be installing a system that by its nature is inherently harder to clean, even with regular maintenance. Accessing and sanitizing internal ductwork is a massive undertaking. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average price for cleaning residential HVAC ductwork ranges from $450 to $1,000. The actual cost will be determined by the size of the system to be cleaned, accessibility, climate region in which the home is located, and level of contamination.
When dangerous contaminants are present in an HVAC system, it's imperative to ensure they are entirely eradicated. Per the EPA, should you decide to have your heating and cooling system cleaned, "It is important to make sure the service provider agrees to clean all components of the system and is qualified to do so. Failure to clean a component of a contaminated system can result in recontamination of the entire system, thus negating any potential benefits."
On the other hand, the Kapsul has a MERV-3 rated washable mesh filter that cleans the air and keeps dust and dander from contacting the evaporator coil. This ensures the air is cleaner and healthier in addition to being cooled and dehumidified. "Eliminating mold in our system was essential, both for health reasons and to ensure Kapsul never emits any odors," Swanson explains.
Kapsul Air is on the Cutting Edge of Future Home Climate Technology
Swanson says Kapsul has already developed several U.S. and international patents on dehumidification and internal projects in the works to address every dimension of the home climate. Expanding on the current platform, Kapsul's future product line will be linked by smart technology. "All of them will work together on our IoT [Internet of Things] platform, which we call Kapsul IQ," he explains. "Kapsul IQ will feature more prominently in our offerings as the different products come out. The idea is that even though they're separate appliances, they'll work as one virtual system for the whole house.
"We'll be showing them to the world one by one, and they're going to blow people away," says Swanson. "Each of them is going to change the category and change the way customers perceive how their climate appliances should work and keep them comfortable."
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of techtimes.com
